Three arrests over deaths of Channel migrants

Three men were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the deaths of five migrants in the English Channel, Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The men were arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and illegally entering Britain.

Five people, including a seven-year-old girl, died in an accident on board a boat crossing the Channel. The boat was carrying 112 people at the time of the tragedy.

Police identified the men as two Sudanese nationals – aged 22 and 19 – and a South Sudanese national aged 22.

The statement, issued by officials on Wednesday, said the men were arrested during a raid by NCA and immigration enforcement officers on Tuesday evening.

Officers have already conducted initial interviews with the men and more interrogations will follow in the coming days.

The three are being questioned by officers at a police station in Kent.

The ship ran into trouble early Tuesday morning when police witnessed people entering the water from the overcrowded ship. It was one of the small boats that left France under favorable weather conditions at around 3 a.m. local time.

Seeing the boat in distress, French regional prefect Jacques Billant said the patrol boat Abeille Normandie was immediately deployed to rescue those who had left on the boat. When they arrived, several people were “unconscious and in great difficulty.”

Six people were taken aboard the patrol boat before being taken to the beach for treatment by emergency services.

According to Mr Billant, another 47 people were rescued from the boat by French authorities, but another 55 remained on board because they did not want to be rescued. They were among a large group of migrants who arrived in Dover late on Tuesday.

The NCA said the passengers have already been identified and interviewed.

Following the arrest, NCA investigation director Craig Turner vowed to identify those behind the smuggling ring.

“This tragic incident once again demonstrates the threat to life that these crossings pose and makes clear why it is so important to tackle the criminal gangs involved in organizing them,” Turner said.

“We will do everything we can with partners in Britain and France to secure evidence, identify those responsible for this event and bring them to justice.”

The tragedy occurred just hours after the British parliament passed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda bill, following months of political deadlock. The law aims to allow migrants arriving on small boats to Rwanda to have their asylum applications processed. The British government hopes this will deter people smugglers.

As of April 21 this year, 6,265 people had crossed the English Channel in small boats since the start of 2024 – almost a quarter more compared to the same period last year. Last year, 29,437 people arrived in Britain in small boats.

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